Morrowind WaterWorld: Oceania
by Leth
Summary: In the world of Tamriel, there are many places to see, but what about underwater? (Morrowind Fanfic)


_All Morrowind(tm) names and places credited to Bethesda and its accredited branches_

_Editor's note: For years the imperial mages guild in Cyrodil have attempted to understand the origins of the Alkaviri. It is important to note one occurrence during the war between Cyrodil and Black Marsh (the land of the sea-snakes) when whole masses of Alkaviri disappeared within the night. How had it happened, no one knows. But scholars today believe that it may have been due cause to continue their attempts in finding truth in folklore despite the falsity common among most. Here in this book, we have collected many legends so that we may present to you a wide variety of viewpoints. Here is one highly disreputable "scholar's" attempt at explaining the origins of land creatures, whose story has dazzled the scientific community, that it now is considered one of the forefront entertainments in many ruckus taverns. _

_Artus Tongfoot currently lives in Morrowind, which, remains today an imperial province, despite its leanings towards open rebellion._

**_Oceania { b_y Artus Tongfoot }**

My adventure began during the campaign of _Almond Drake_ against _Boethia The Water God_. Occurring after a certain naval battle when the majesty's great ships outflanked the moors of Boethia and sent news of this battle popular among all Cyrodils, although our fleet was victorious, we were left with a present from Boethia herself, one that we might never had guessed and moreover, would take years of research among our scholars to realize what exactly had destroyed three imperial vessels of his majesty's sea fleet. Fortunately, I now know the substance and will rejoin you with my newly acquainted viewpoint. 

I fear I may sound as one of those knowledgeable hermits when I state that war always inflicts losses on both sides. And, again I may sound the same wayward genius when I raconteur on the possibility that some losses can be quite considerable gains. 

I gained, you see, on my adventure, although it was at first a dark and morbid one.

At first, the sky was bright but suddenly turned into an unfortunate gray which shaped swiftly into a booming storm that rocked our ships this way and that. By then, we knew Boethia herself, or at least some immeasurable aspect of her, was coming. 

The first sighting occurred while I was aft drying the cannonballs, when I heard the scope scream, "Boethia! Fore!" I knew then that certain instruments would be burned, communicating with the rest of our vast fleet. 

I do not believe it is prudent to retell such a well-known battle, for certainly it has reached your ears many folds over. After we had won, many of our majesty's subjects celebrated his royal cause. Our ship was then sent into the wreck while the rest circumnavigated the mess, for we were the first to ring alarm and therefore were honored to end it, by gathering some remnant that might indicate Boethia's presence. To our surprise, we found the greatest centerpiece of all. A gigantic blue sphere known as _Norfolk's Chrystilus_. I was among the few sent to attain the sphere.

Before our mortal hands could touch such dazzling beauty, the sphere began to glow! It glowed and glowed and shined until it was a great burning candle! It was then that I realized that something was not all together safe, so I bade my men to row back – but it was too late, it had burst before my eyes with the fires of a thousand suns. I was momentarily dazzled. When I reached my senses I knew not where I was, except on some water, and a great current was pushing me. I searched for the sphere, but nothing can to view. I looked into the direction of the current – and saw a whirlpool. 

And so we were sucked, all of us, mates and friends alike. I opened my bottle of water breathing. Pulled we were; I saw many figures scream, their bubbles reaching me from below. I knew they were begging for my bottle of life, but I could not risk loosing it. Best to save one life, mine. 

For thirty seconds I was pulled down. Finally, I realized I was no longer sinking, so swam upwards towards the sky. I changed suddenly, for I saw a great mass speeding quickly towards me, but my evading was to no avail. My body crashed into the wooden planks of my former ship. It was a miracle that I still held the bottle in my hands.

I tried to push myself away from the ship, but again, to no avail. It seemed my soul was connected, oh no so dramatic then! I was merely being pulled down by the wake of my own ship! 

For a long time I remain sucked, the currents would not let me go, they pushed me into my own deathbed. The watery sky above me went pale, then darkened, and then, all I could see was a puddle of light directly above me. That too disappeared. I found myself wrapped in blackness sucking on a cold dense liquid that ironically gave me life, limited life. 

A long time passed and still I was impaled on the wooden planks. At last I found the strength to push off into the darkness. I moved my arms to push myself away despite the currents, far away from the boat I went, until I drew in more water than I ever could. _Something from below!_  I cried, a light much like that of the forgotten sky unbalanced my senses. I felt that the earth still pulled me down, but the light came also from below. 

The real amazement came when you realize how large something is. In the dark you cannot decipher between 300 decads or 1 millston, for there are no comparisons. Soon though, I saw my ship – it was comparison enough! A dot resembling my own death barge wavered from down below. In the midst of fear, I asked myself whether or not I was being pushed downwards by some hidden current, and the ship was somehow sinking slower than myself. 

No, no, I shook. It could not be, for I felt the ship was indeed _below _me and I knew that the water surface could not be the same yellowish sky I saw in the giant background. Perhaps it was some watery hell, then. 

I remembered an old legend which spoke of a man who breached the surface; how he had screamed his blood was boiling before he died a spasmic death. You see, I felt my own blood boil. I reached out for nothing – before long a thousand pinchers inserted within me – I knew I would die not of drowning but of cramping pain. But before I could die, a figure swam below. _A fish I cried! _A shark to kill me! How grateful than this other death!__

But it was no a fish, because I saw bluish arms. It grabbed onto me, pulling me away from the other death, and downwards into the drowning grave. Slowly, the light from below reappeared. Slowly, I was loosing my magic. Quickly, I realized my bottle was gone! 

I gasped for air!

Then the being kissed me! 

_Kissed me it did!_ I shouted in my water-filled mouth. _The fish kissed me!_ It breathed warm sweet aroma back into my lungs! 

In the darkness I could see no face, but she, for I knew it was a she, bade me to go further down, and down I did. I swam with all the might given to me by her magical kiss, and down and down we went. Her arms were bent around my sides as if to push me along with her, I knew then that I was not part of the same race, no, of course not; she was most likely one of those magical creatures never read before nor told in any of our jolly taverns. 

Suddenly, she trembled as if gasping for air (my memory on this is dull. I have learned in my studies that only underwater creatures who venture to the surface develop this response to sudden stimuli; why then, have we not seen such beauty?); slowly she came back to me. We both swam down to the sky below. When there was significant light, between kisses I realized with some untimely delight that my fingers had touched some area of delicacy, triggering such a response…

Nevertheless, my sea-savior and I moved down. Down and down we went until the light became as bright as the sky. The sky below me, that is. 

You would never have guessed what lay beneath the damp voids, which has swallowed many ships and men, and, which we may never call again – just a sea. 

---

Author's Note: Please RR, thank you!


End file.
